Written Answers Thursday 6 August 2009

Scottish Executive

Air Services

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the expected impact on inbound tourism from Ireland as a result of the Irish Government’s decision to introduce a higher rate of air travel tax for destinations over 300 km from Dublin, including Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh

Stewart Stevenson: We have made no such assessment.

  Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Irish Government in response to its decision to introduce a higher rate of air travel tax for destinations over 300km from Dublin, including Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh.

Stewart Stevenson: We have made no representations to the Irish Government on this issue.

  Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement on the purpose of its aviation unit.

Stewart Stevenson: The purpose of our aviation policy branch is to support Scottish ministers in developing and implementing their policies in relation to aviation and in implementing aviation-related spending plans as agreed by the Scottish Parliament.

Alcohol Misuse

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils in the Lothians region have been suspended for alcohol-related issues in each local authority area in each of the last three years.

Fiona Hyslop: The number of pupils suspended (temporarily excluded) for incidents of substance misuse (alcohol) in each local authority in the Lothians region, in each of the last three years, is:

  

 
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08


East Lothian
2
2
5


Edinburgh, City of
0
6
3


Midlothian
0
3
9


West Lothian
2
10
5

Bankruptcy

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were declared bankrupt in each of the first six months of 2009, broken down by sheriffdom.

Fergus Ewing: The table below show all bankruptcies by month from January 2009 to June 2009. As all debtor applications are now received by the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB), the debtor application figures are not allocated to individual sheriff court areas but are given as a separate total for each sheriffdom.

  As all debtor applications are now received by AiB, the numbers of awards by AiB since April 2008 are not allocated to individual sheriff court areas but are given as a separate total for each sheriffdom. AiB sheriffdom values have been collated based upon postcodes of individual cases.

  Figures for the Accountant in Bankruptcy may slightly vary from those previously released following end of year validation of data.

  

Sheriffdom (Sheriff Court)
January 
  2009
February 
  2009
March 
  2009
April
  2009
May 
  2009
June
  2009


Grampian Highland and Islands
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
83
113
104
113
108
139


Aberdeen
23
7
9
10
6
10


Banff
1
0
1
0
1
1


Dingwall
0
2
2
0
1
3


Dornoch
1
0
1
0
1
1


Elgin
4
5
3
2
3
3


Fort William
0
3
0
1
0
2


Inverness
3
7
3
1
7
1


Kirkwall
0
0
0
0
0
1


Lerwick
0
0
1
1
0
0


Lochmaddy
0
0
0
1
1
0


Peterhead
3
3
1
1
6
0


Portree
0
1
0
0
0
0


Stonehaven
2
0
0
1
1
0


Stornoway
0
1
1
0
1
0


Tain
2
2
0
4
0
0


Wick
1
0
1
2
0
5


Not defined
0
0
0
0
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
123
144
127
137
136
166


Lothian and Borders
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
112
162
171
143
132
146


Duns
0
1
1
1
0
0


Edinburgh
20
16
29
18
21
19


Haddington
20
50
30
26
19
52


Jedburgh
0
3
6
4
2
1


Linlithgow
23
13
9
21
13
8


Peebles
0
0
0
0
0
0


Selkirk
0
0
1
1
0
4


Not defined
0
0
0
0
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
175
245
247
214
187
230


North Strathclyde
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
110
165
170
139
140
198


Campbeltown
0
2
0
2
1
0


Dumbarton
8
12
11
9
4
5


Dunoon
1
0
1
0
1
1


Greenock
9
2
5
1
2
4


Kilmarnock
10
13
9
13
8
7


Oban
0
1
3
2
0
2


Paisley
10
9
9
9
6
5


Rothesay
0
0
1
0
2
0


Not defined
0
0
0
0
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
148
204
209
175
164
222


Glasgow and Strathkelvin
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
133
167
190
182
177
170


Glasgow and Strathkelvin
35
47
64
38
37
47


Not defined
0
0
0
0
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
168
214
254
220
214
217


South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
159
179
181
186
177
202


Airdrie
13
11
14
18
8
4


Ayr
4
7
11
12
8
4


Dumfries
3
0
3
1
2
1


Hamilton
20
24
24
23
19
21


Kirkcudbright
2
0
0
3
0
1


Lanark
2
3
6
5
5
6


Stranraer
1
4
1
1
4
0


Not defined
0
0
0
0
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
204
228
240
249
223
239


Tayside, Central and Fife
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
186
206
272
219
184
256


Alloa
1
1
9
1
3
3


Arbroath
1
2
1
0
2
1


Cupar
2
1
1
0
3
0


Dundee
8
18
13
8
6
7


Dunfermline
2
4
7
9
4
5


Falkirk
10
9
13
5
5
6


Forfar
0
1
1
1
0
2


Kirkcaldy
5
5
6
11
15
6


Perth
17
5
3
5
2
3


Stirling
5
5
4
2
3
2


Not defined
0
0
0
0
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
237
257
330
261
227
291


National Total
1,055
1,292
1,407
1,256
1,151
1,365



  Source: Accountant in Bankruptcy.

  Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were declared bankrupt in each month of 2008, broken down by sheriffdom.

Fergus Ewing: The tables below show all bankruptcies by month from January 2008 to December 2008. Up until 1 April 2008 all debtor and creditor petitions for bankruptcy were considered by the courts. Since that date, debtor applications for bankruptcy have been considered by the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) while the Court of Session no longer considers creditor petitions, all of these being dealt with in the sheriff court.

  Figures up to and including July 2008 contain some Court of Session awards as a result of petitions presented prior to 1 April 2008. These Court of Session awards have been incorporated in sheriff court totals for the period.

  As all debtor applications are now received by AiB, the numbers of awards by AiB since April 2008 are not allocated to individual sheriff court areas but are given as a separate total for each sheriffdom. AiB sheriffdom values have been collated based upon postcodes of individual cases.

  Figures for the Accountant in Bankruptcy may vary from those previously released following end of year validation of data.

  January – June 2008

  

Sheriffdom (Sheriff Court)
January
  2008
February 
  2008
March
  2008
April
  2008
May
  2008
June
  2008


Grampian Highland and Islands
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
0
0
0
47
120
180


Aberdeen
15
14
16
20
8
9


Banff
4
3
0
5
3
0


Dingwall
1
3
0
0
0
0


Dornoch
3
0
0
0
0
0


Elgin
8
6
14
3
3
4


Fort William
2
0
1
0
0
0


Inverness
8
5
4
8
4
6


Kirkwall
0
0
1
1
0
1


Lerwick
0
0
1
1
0
1


Lochmaddy
2
0
0
0
1
0


Peterhead
4
3
6
5
8
5


Portree
2
2
0
0
0
0


Stonehaven
1
4
2
0
2
2


Stornoway
0
0
0
3
1
2


Tain
0
1
1
0
3
0


Wick
1
2
0
0
0
1


Not defined
3
0
2
1
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
54
43
48
94
153
211


Lothian and Borders
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
0
0
0
37
97
178


Duns
2
2
1
0
0
1


Edinburgh
37
42
38
34
25
21


Haddington
4
5
12
6
13
19


Jedburgh
0
2
2
0
3
0


Linlithgow
13
11
18
17
13
2


Peebles
1
0
1
0
3
0


Selkirk
4
4
1
2
1
0


Not defined
1
1
0
1
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
62
67
73
97
155
221


North Strathclyde
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
0
0
0
35
102
150


Campbeltown
0
1
4
0
1
1


Dumbarton
12
14
23
6
4
4


Dunoon
0
0
2
3
2
3


Greenock
7
0
7
8
3
2


Kilmarnock
16
15
17
21
13
8


Oban
4
3
0
2
0
3


Paisley
28
30
20
21
7
15


Rothesay
1
0
0
1
0
0


Not defined
2
3
2
0
3
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
70
66
75
97
135
186


Glasgow and Strathkelvin
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
0
0
0
27
72
135


Glasgow and Strathkelvin
62
66
67
57
24
31


Not defined
2
0
2
2
2
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
64
66
69
86
98
166


South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
0
0
0
48
91
177


Airdrie
19
24
26
9
20
3


Ayr
9
18
12
4
3
8


Dumfries
7
10
10
3
2
2


Hamilton
46
36
39
31
22
24


Kirkcudbright
1
1
0
0
0
1


Lanark
5
5
2
1
4
6


Stranraer
2
0
1
0
0
0


Not defined
2
2
1
0
1
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
91
96
91
96
143
221


Tayside, Central and Fife
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
0
0
0
76
177
267


Alloa
3
8
4
3
2
3


Arbroath
4
6
2
2
3
2


Cupar
2
7
5
1
7
2


Dundee
25
24
33
41
51
17


Dunfermline
10
18
17
17
4
9


Falkirk
16
20
12
10
7
6


Forfar
3
5
7
2
2
2


Kirkcaldy
12
12
22
4
11
6


Perth
9
14
19
10
3
8


Stirling
4
9
7
6
2
1


Not defined
4
6
0
3
4
2


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
92
129
128
175
273
325


National Total
433
467
484
645
957
1,330



  July – December 2008

  

Sheriffdom (Sheriff Court)
July
  2008
August
  2008
September
  2008
October
  2008
November
  2008
December
  2008


Grampian Highland and Islands
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
185
87
145
173
122
121


Aberdeen
6
9
7
6
6
4


Banff
0
0
0
0
2
3


Dingwall
0
2
1
0
3
2


Dornoch
0
0
0
0
1
0


Elgin
2
1
0
2
2
3


Fort William
0
3
1
1
0
1


Inverness
9
2
3
7
0
5


Kirkwall
0
0
0
0
0
0


Lerwick
0
0
0
0
1
1


Lochmaddy
0
0
0
2
0
0


Peterhead
3
3
1
5
5
3


Portree
0
1
1
0
0
0


Stonehaven
1
1
0
2
0
1


Stornoway
1
2
0
0
2
0


Tain
0
0
0
0
0
1


Wick
0
0
2
0
0
0


Not defined
0
0
0
0
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
207
111
161
198
144
145


Lothian and Borders
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
233
138
163
172
154
123


Duns
0
0
2
1
0
1


Edinburgh
22
31
23
17
25
15


Haddington
22
43
15
5
19
18


Jedburgh
0
0
3
0
1
3


Linlithgow
8
5
11
5
9
6


Peebles
0
0
0
1
0
0


Selkirk
0
0
2
0
0
1


Not defined
0
0
0
0
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
285
217
219
201
208
167


North Strathclyde
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
236
147
171
226
169
162


Campbeltown
1
2
0
4
0
0


Dumbarton
5
5
5
9
9
7


Dunoon
2
1
0
0
0
0


Greenock
5
3
1
5
3
3


Kilmarnock
7
17
39
19
6
10


Oban
0
2
0
0
0
1


Paisley
12
11
12
14
12
7


Rothesay
0
0
0
0
0
0


Not defined
1
0
0
0
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
269
188
228
277
199
190


Glasgow and Strathkelvin
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
213
150
186
236
163
157


Glasgow and Strathkelvin
33
47
42
66
33
26


Not defined
0
0
0
0
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
246
197
228
302
196
183


South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
235
130
159
222
168
168


Airdrie
19
15
7
12
10
18


Ayr
5
18
15
9
7
6


Dumfries
3
9
1
10
1
4


Hamilton
26
13
27
17
32
26


Kirkcudbright
2
0
0
2
1
2


Lanark
10
1
4
4
1
0


Stranraer
2
2
4
1
1
0


Not defined
0
0
0
0
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
302
188
217
277
221
224


Tayside, Central and Fife
 
 
 
 
 
 


AiB
281
187
218
267
215
250


Alloa
3
2
0
0
1
1


Arbroath
1
1
3
3
0
4


Cupar
3
2
1
4
0
2


Dundee
10
2
2
25
15
23


Dunfermline
6
14
5
5
2
2


Falkirk
15
6
9
8
8
2


Forfar
0
0
1
0
0
1


Kirkcaldy
11
9
8
10
11
3


Perth
2
5
4
3
3
1


Stirling
1
0
3
4
4
4


Not defined
0
0
0
0
0
0


Total Awards for Sheriffdom
333
228
254
329
259
293


National Total
1,642
1,129
1,307
1,584
1,227
1,202



  Source: Accountant in Bankruptcy.

Bridges

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been carried out into the traffic problems caused by the Inveramsay Bridge on the A96.

Stewart Stevenson: The Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) considered the A96 as part of the national strategic transport corridor between Aberdeen and Inverness. This included consideration of the transport issues at the Inveramsay Bridge.

  Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive to what timescale it is working to deliver a new Inveramsay bridge on the A96.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-21266 on 9 March 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Burial and Cremation

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it provides funding for the repair and maintenance of the graves of famous Scots, such as John Loudon Macadam who is buried in Moffat Cemetery, and the graveyards in which they are buried.

Michael Russell: There is no Scottish Government funding stream available that provides directly for such repair and maintenance, with the exception of the grant given annually by Historic Scotland to the War Memorials Trust to assist in the care of memorials to Scotland’s war dead, famous or not.

  However, there are several avenues open to those who wish to see particular graves better cared for, and I have asked Historic Scotland to write directly to Ms Murray setting these options out in more detail.

Class Sizes

James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive at how many meetings with higher education institutions its target of reducing class sizes in primaries one to three to 18 pupils or fewer was discussed and what impact this has had on the provision of teacher training places.

Fiona Hyslop: Officials meet the deans of education on a regular basis where issues of mutual interest, including policy commitments on class sizes, are discussed. A teacher workforce planning exercise is conducted each year which takes into account the impact of policy commitments on teacher numbers.

  Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average class size was in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the Lothians region in May (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007 and (iv) 2008, broken down by local authority area.

Fiona Hyslop: Information on class sizes is not collected in May. A school census is conducted annually in September. Information on average class sizes by local authority is published in the statistical bulletins Pupils in Scotland for the years in question which can be accessed at the following links:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/02/28083932/64.

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/02/27083941/78.

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/07/28100032/82.

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/04/01090908/77.

Communities

Tricia Marwick (Central Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many grants have been made under the Cashback for Communities initiative to applicants in the Central Fife parliamentary constituency and what the value of those grants was.

Fergus Ewing: To date, the Scottish Government has committed to invest over £13 million in the CashBack for Communities programme which includes diversionary and participatory projects for young people across Scotland.

  £3 million of this investment was allocated to YouthLink Scotland. Funding distributed through the YouthLink Scotland local youth project grant scheme is recorded by local authority.

  The following organisations in Fife received funds in rounds 1 and 2:

  Round 1

  Barnardo’s Levenmouth Links - £2,216.00.

  Kirkcaldy YMCA - £19,595.00.

  Levenmouth YMCA - £26,000.00.

  Arts and Theatres Fife - £740.00.

  Levenmouth Youth Initiative - £8,008.00.

  Glenrothes YMCA-YWCA - £10,963.00.

  Round 2

  Savoy Youth Centre - £15,435.00.

  Levenmouth YMCA - £10,000.00.

  The Initiative - £11,163.00.

  Fife Council Benarty Centre - £3,665.00.

  Kirkcaldy Area Youth Strategy Group - £9,287.00.

  Clued Up Project - £10,800.00.

  YWCA Kirkcaldy - £4,265.00.

  Big Shout Partnership - £14,915.00.

  Kirkcaldy YMCA - £9,981.00.

  Strike a Chord (Music Project) - £19,725.00.

  A further £1 million has been allocated to YouthLink Scotland for a second grant programme which is currently open for applications. Fife has been allocated £70,579 from the fund.

  In addition, The Scottish Football Association (SFA) are using £8,800 of their CashBack grants in central Fife to deliver Midnight Football and Street Football at twelve venues in 2009. In 2008 they invested £8.500. The SFA have also allocated £17,625 to the secondary school-based Soccer One programme, which is being delivered to 15 schools in Fife in 2008-09.

  Scottish Rugby is investing £11,582 of CashBack funding in a range of diversionary school and club rugby activities in central Fife.

  Basketballscotland is working to promote basketball participation across Scotland through the deployment of four regional coordinators funded by CashBack.

  CashBack has also allocated Kennoway Sports Association £100,000 for the development of a new sports pavilion at Cotlands Park.

  The second cultural strand of CashBack was announced in March 2009. The Creative Identities project is an 18-month programme of creative learning activities for young people targeting young carers in particularly, but will be open to all young people. Central Fife is included in the east central programme plan, which is led by Edinburgh based Dance Base and Pilton Video. They have been allocated £216,200 to deliver projects across the region.

Concessionary Travel

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have applied to the Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme in each year since it was introduced.

Stewart Stevenson: The application process for the Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme is the responsibility of individual local authorities. Transport Scotland does not have any information regarding applications.

  In terms of the numbers of young people accessing the scheme, young people become eligible and ineligible for young persons concessionary travel on a rolling basis, depending on their age, consequently it is not possible to provide annual figures of uptake. However, it is possible to advise on the number of active cards in circulation for eligible young people. The scheme began on 8 January 2007. On 18 March 2007 there were 35,256 active cards in circulation. On 18 March 2008 there were 60,303 active cards in circulation and on 18 March 2009 there were 80,236 active cards in circulation.

  Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on promoting the Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme in each year since it was introduced.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scotland-wide Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme started on 8 January 2007. In preparation for this, and since the scheme started, various marketing activities have taken place in order to increase uptake.

  The marketing costs associated with the scheme for each financial year has been as follows:

  In 2006-07, approximately £375,000 was spent.

  In 2007-08, approximately £420,000 was spent.

  In 2008-09, approximately £11,500 was spent.

  Since March 2009, no further formal marketing expenses have been incurred, although the scheme and the national entitlement card continues to be promoted via the Transport Scotland website, through the Young Scot organisation and through local authorities.

  Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what it has done to promote take-up of the Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scotland-wide Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme started on 8 January 2007. In preparation for this, and since the scheme started, various marketing activities have taken place in order to increase uptake.

  Transport Scotland has worked in partnership with transport operators, local authorities and the Young Scot organisation to provide adequate publicity in order to promote the scheme and to increase take up.

  Marketing activities have included radio advertising, online activities, a dedicated website, an SMS text alert facility, posters and leaflets and direct mailing to the parents of 16-18 year olds.

  Application forms and information leaflets are available from local authorities and their nominated agents.

Cycling

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its Cycling Action Plan for Scotland: Consultation that indicates that extra funding will not be made available for cycling until the next spending review period that begins in April 2011, how it will reach its target of 10% of journeys being made by bike by 2020.

Stewart Stevenson: The target of 10% of journeys by bike is a proposed target as part of the consultation exercise on the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland . As stated in the consultation document, "the Scottish Government will review all current funding streams in order to provide scope for consideration of increased levels of investment to achieve a better aligned cycling budget across policy areas."

  Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has that its funding investment for cycling through local authorities represents a greater share of its spending than in previous years, broken down in monetary terms.

Stewart Stevenson: Through our concordat with COSLA we have given local authorities more funding than before and greater flexibility to invest in local priorities. The table below shows the increase in the level of grant to local authorities from 2007-08:

  

 
2007-08 (Bn)
2008-09 (Bn)
2009-10 (Bn)


Total Funding
£10.651 
£11.072 
£11.830



  If local authorities wish to add to the ring-fenced budgets of £9 million for cycling, walking and safer streets projects and the funding that Sustrans offers as part of Tackling the School Run, they are able to do so.

  Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been made available for cycling provision in the last five years, broken down by (a) year and (b) local authority area.

Stewart Stevenson: The tables below show the amount of funding allocated for cycling projects to individual local authorities in each of the last five years.

  Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets Grant

  

 
2004-05
  (£000’s)
2005-06
  (£000’s)
2006-07
  (£000’s)
2007-08
  (£000’s)
2008-09
  (£000’s)


Aberdeen City
343
362
358
365
365


Aberdeenshire
367
388
402
412
412


Angus
175
185
187
191
191


Argyll and Bute
148
156
160
163
163


Clackmannanshire
78
82
84
86
86


Dumfries and Galloway
240
252
256
262
262


Dundee City
236
248
245
249
249


East Ayrshire
195
205
208
212
212


East Dunbartonshire
175
185
187
191
191


East Lothian
146
154
165
170
170


East Renfrewshire
145
153
160
165
165


Edinburgh, city of
727
767
796
818
818


Eilean Siar
43
45
44
45
45


Falkirk
235
248
259
267
267


Fife
566
597
622
639
639


Glasgow City
937
988
1,000
1,021
1,021


Highland
338
357
365
374
374


Inverclyde
136
144
143
146
146


Midlothian
131
138
144
149
149


Moray
141
149
150
154
154


North Ayrshire
220
232
236
241
241


North Lanarkshire
520
549
565
579
579


Orkney
31
33
33
34
34


Perth and Kinross
219
231
240
247
247


Renfrewshire
280
295
298
304
304


Scottish Borders
173
183
191
196
196


Shetland
36
38
39
40
40


South Ayrshire
182
192
194
199
199


South Lanarkshire
490
516
531
544
544


Stirling
140
147
155
160
160


West Dunbartonshire
151
159
160
164
164


West Lothian
258
272
293
303
303



  School Run and NCN Funding

  

 
2004-05
  (£000s)
2005-06
  (£000s)
2006-07
  (£000s)
2007-08
  (£000s)
2008-09
  (£000s)


Aberdeen City
210
227
201
203
27


Aberdeenshire
84
89
84
228
166


Angus
105
9
10
25
84


Argyll and Bute
113
16
867
1391
1174


Clackmannanshire
168
49
55
286
65


Dumfries and Galloway
115
251
120
427
210


Dundee City
95
11
100
176
154


East Ayrshire
 
49
378
124
 


East Dunbartonshire
 
 
160
108
132


East Lothian
163
96
144
253
14


East Renfrewshire
 
2
110
47
30


Edinburgh, city of
198
44
905
143
179


Eilean Siar
 
 
22
54
13


Falkirk
 
28
24
255
123


Fife
278
39
486
499
302


Glasgow City
24
7
229
400
238


Highland
126
101
505
250
56


Inverclyde
169
63
86
362
12


Midlothian
51
 
83
79
38


Moray
 
8
315
181
132


North Ayrshire
210
39
50
125
28


North Lanarkshire
42
91
 
221
70


Orkney
 
 
 
112
59


Perth and Kinross
51
131
119
87
77


Renfrewshire
240
1
168
310
16


Scottish Borders
155
29
71
100
31


Shetland
 
15
130
9
23


South Ayrshire
 
29
270
164
42


South Lanarkshire
158
 
109
32
45


Stirling
249
283
289
192
130


West Dunbartonshire
58
 
139
140
142


West Lothian
53
22
224
136
49

Drug Misuse

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) information is or (b) data are held on the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) holds information/data about clients in drug treatment services. This information/data comprises:

  1. Personal details, including full name, city/town and postcode, date of birth and ethnic group.

  2. Initial presenting information, including main source of referral and co-occuring health issues.

  3. Contact with each service used, including caseworker name, date of initial assessment and follow-up reviews, date and reason for discharge and/or date and destination of referral to another treatment or rehabilitation service.

  4. Previous contact with services.

  5. Age when first started using illicit drugs and at onset of problem use.

  6. Currently prescribed drugs related to the treatment of addiction.

  7. Illicit drugs taken in the past month, including frequency and daily quantity and spend.

  8. Injecting/equipment sharing details.

  9. Blood borne viruses.

  10. Alcohol consumed in the past month.

  11. Social profile, including accommodation, legal situation, living situation, prison record (last 12 months), employment/education and source of funding for drugs use.

  12. Number of dependent children and their living situation.

  13. Details of interventions received (including drugs treatment and wider social, housing and employment interventions).

  These categories reflect the most comprehensive information that may be held about an individual who has received both an initial and a follow-up assessment.

  For reasons why the amount of information about different individuals may vary I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-25798, on 6 August 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals have their information and data held on the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) collects information and data on clients entering drug treatment at specialist services in Scotland. The database holds records for the period from 1995-96 to 2007-08. The number of individuals for whom information and data were held on the Scottish Drug Misuse Database on 31st March 2008 is presented in the table below.

  Total Number of Clients/Individuals1 Reported to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database, 1995-96 to 2007-08.

  

 
1995-96 to 2007-08


Number of clients/individuals reported to the SDMD
97,863



  Source: ISD Scotland (SDMD), Ref: 2009-01699, Date Extracted: 24th July 2009.

  Note:

  1. Clients identified as duplicates via probability matching were excluded. Caution is necessary when interpreting these figures as individuals may withhold identifying data or report different personal details on subsequent visits. This may lead to the double counting of some individuals.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is enhancing the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has provided funding to Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland to establish a system of follow-up data collection for the Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD), which had previously collected data only at initial entry into treatment. The enhanced SDMD will provide better outcome data and improve our ability to assess treatment effectiveness. The roll-out of the new system began in April 2008 with Scotland-wide coverage expected by the end of 2009.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether medical records are held on the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Fergus Ewing: Clients’ medical records are not held on the Scottish Drug Misuse Database. However, some basic self-reported health information is held, which is described in the answer to question S3W-25786, on 6 August 2009.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive for how long (a) information is and (b) data are held on the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) collects information and data on clients entering drug treatment at specialist services in Scotland. Records containing information and data are held indefinitely, in common with other similar databases held by Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement the police has with the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Fergus Ewing: To the best of the knowledge of Scottish Government, the police have no involvement with the Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD), which holds information about patients/clients attending drug treatment services.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement NHS Scotland has with the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Fergus Ewing: The information held in the Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) is owned and managed by Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland, which is part of NHS National Services Scotland (a special health board). NHS drug treatment providers submit information to the SDMD.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive who governs the use of the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) collects information and data on clients entering drug treatment at specialist services in Scotland. Information Services Division (ISD), which is a division of NHS National Services Scotland, holds and processes the information and data. Two steering groups oversee the use of the database. One of these is concerned with the programme of work of ISD’s substance misuse team, including analysis of data from SDMD. The other is concerned with specific, often technical, issues concerning the database and data collection. The membership of the steering groups is drawn from ISD, the Scottish Government and other stakeholders, including alcohol and drug action teams, Health Scotland and Health Protection Scotland.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers oversee the use of the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) collects information and data on clients entering drug treatment at specialist services in Scotland. Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland, a division of NHS National Services Scotland, holds the database and processes the data. Ministers do not oversee the use of SDMD.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Drug Misuse Database is connected to the Scottish DNA database and, if so, how.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Drug Misuse Database is not connected to the Scottish DNA database.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether an individual is entitled to refuse to have the details of his or her treatment held on the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Fergus Ewing: Individuals are entitled to refuse to have the details of their treatment held on the Scottish Drug Misuse Database. In such cases the relevant form is not completed or submitted to the database.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether individuals are consulted on the retention of their details on the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Fergus Ewing: Individuals are provided with a leaflet, Scottish Drug Misuse Database: Protecting Personal Information . This makes clear an individual’s right to object to Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland making use of their information. It also advises individuals that they may ask ISD to change or restrict the way they use their information and that ISD is obliged to agree if it is possible to do so.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the same amount and type of (a) information is and (b) data are held on every individual on the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Fergus Ewing: Different amounts and types of information and data may be held about different individuals in the Scottish Drug Misuse Database because:

  (a) individuals may choose not to answer all the questions on the forms used to collect the information.

  (b) prior to the expansion of the database to include follow-up information, clients only had information collected about them when they first entered treatment.

  (c) the system for collecting follow-up information records this at regular intervals. This means that the amount of information held depends on how long an individual has been in treatment.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the efficacy of the use of the information and data held on the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) has a number of important uses including:

  Monitoring problem drug use;

  Helping to identify, or confirm, trends;

  Informing discussion about service provision;

  Providing data to local partnerships on alcohol and drugs to help them plan their work and manage local performance;

  Providing information in support of single outcome agreements.

  Prior to 2008, the utility of the database was restricted because it only contained information about clients when they first entered treatment. The new SDMD follow-up reporting system was introduced in April 2008, with Scotland-wide coverage expected by the end of 2009. This will enhance the utility of the database by providing information on:

  The total number of clients in treatment;

  The length of time spent in treatment;

  Details of the interventions clients receive;

  Changes in clients’ drug use and social situations (including the living situation of dependent children).

  This new data will permit the analysis of effective treatment pathways and outcomes, in addition to enhancing the existing uses of the database outlined above.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how often the use of the Scottish Drug Misuse Database is reviewed.

Fergus Ewing: The use of the Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) is reviewed periodically within Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland. New data collection forms were introduced in 1995, 2000, 2006 and 2008 to improve the utility of the database.

  ISD’s privacy advisory committee reviews applications for the use of the data for research purposes on demand.

  John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were discharged from treatment for drug misuse in the categories of (a) treatment completed drug free, (b) treatment completed not drug free, (c) dropped out, (d) referred to other treatment, (e) individual entered prison, (f) individual died and (g) reason not known in each year from 2000 to 2008, broken down by local authority.

Fergus Ewing: Until 2008 the Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) collected information only about clients entering treatment. Consequently, the information requested is not available. However, the Scottish Government is working with Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland to expand the SDMD to collect follow-up treatment data, including information about discharge from treatment. The collection of this data began in April 2008, with Scotland-wide coverage expected by the end of 2009.

  Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils in the Lothians region have been suspended for drug-related issues in each local authority area in each of the last three years.

Fiona Hyslop: The number of pupils suspended (temporarily excluded) for incidents of substance misuse (not alcohol) in each local authority in the Lothians region, in each of the last three years, is:

  

 
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08


East Lothian
8
1
8


Edinburgh, City of
24
3
7


Midlothian
15
6
0


West Lothian
4
10
13

Economy

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to regenerate the Caithness economy following the decommissioning of Dounreay.

Jim Mather: In 2001, following a period of consultation, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) published a strategy focusing on securing economic benefit from the decommissioning of Dounreay. This strategy was refreshed in 2006 and the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership (CNSRP) was formed. The partnership’s executive board comprises of senior representatives from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Highland Council, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and the Scottish Government.

  In 2007 the partnership published a 50-point action plan based on the refreshed strategy, specifying a range of projects which it intends to deliver within proposed timescales, to drive forward new initiatives to counteract the effects which the decommissioning of Dounreay nuclear plant will have on the area’s economy

Forth Crossing

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of a ruling by the Office for National Statistics that public private partnerships (PPP) can continue to appear off balance sheets in national accounts, what assessment has it made of the possibility of funding the Forth Replacement Crossing through PPP/NPD methods.

Stewart Stevenson: We have reviewed the option of funding through PPP/NPD, and the planned conventional funding approach provides certainty at a time when there remains volatility in the financial markets, and is the only method capable of delivering the replacement crossing by 2016.

Influenza

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency plans are in place for highland Perthshire in case of a large-scale outbreak of influenza A(H1N1) in the area.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government coordinates the response to the current flu pandemic across Scotland, liaising closely with the UK Government and other administrations. The responsibility for local planning in highland Perthshire rests with the Tayside strategic coordinating group (SCG).

  Planning at this local level has been ongoing for some time and the response to swine flu includes maintenance by the local authority of key service provision to all communities, including those in rural areas, during a period of sustained community transmission. Emergency services have also considered arrangements for response in rural areas during an outbreak of swine flu and have agreed a contingency to maintain effective service provision. The SCG also has the lead role in ensuring effective communication with local communities, providing advice and reassurance through press and media.

International Development

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19609 by Linda Fabiani on 15 January 2009, how much money it made available to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza in each of the first six months of 2009, broken down by (a) agency and (b) purpose of award.

Michael Russell: The money made available to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza was announced on 15 February 2009 and all funds were transferred to organisations on 1 April 2009. Details are available on the Scottish Government’s website at the following link:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/International-Relations/internationaldevelopment/idffundingguidance/gaza.

  Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19610 by Linda Fabiani on 15 January 2009, what resources it made available to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza in the first six months of 2009.

Michael Russell: Further to my answer to the question S3W-25764 on 6 August 2009, no further requests were made for resources in addition to the funding already provided.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Justice

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many national support coordinators have been appointed to help deliver drug treatment services, broken down by local authority.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether each local authority is required to have at least one national support coordinator to help deliver drug treatment services.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how national support coordinators will help deliver drug treatment services.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether national support coordinators will be in charge of the delivery of drug treatment services in local authority areas.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the national support coordinators will have authority over local partners in the deliver of drug treatment services.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive to whom the drug service national support coordinators will report.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether national support coordinators will be directed in their work by ministers or local partners.

Fergus Ewing: We have initially appointed two national support coordinators (NSCs) who will take up post in August. The NSCs will have a Scotland-wide remit and, as such, they are not appointed to a particular local authority area. They will be seconded to the Scottish Government and will report jointly to the heads of the drugs policy delivery team and alcohol policy team. They will work closely with local alcohol and drugs partnerships and their partners to promote and support the implementation of national alcohol and drugs policy initiatives at a local level. A significant aspect of the coordinators’ role will be to support local partners in understanding and implementing the new delivery framework published in April 2009 by the Scottish Government, CoSLA and NHS Scotland:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/04/23084201/0.

  The NSCs will have a purely supportive role; they will not have authority over local partners or be responsible for the delivery of local drugs services.

Justice

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what timescale the relevant authority has in which to escort to custody people recalled from supervision or licence.

Kenny MacAskill: The enforcement of an order revoking a licence and recalling an offender to custody is an operational matter for the police who will return the person to custody as soon as practicable.

National Conversation

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it booked the venue for the National Conversation event that was held in Livingston on 16 June 2009.

Michael Russell: The Howden Park Centre, the venue for the National Conversation event held in Livingston on 16 June, was booked on 18 May 2009.

  George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the invitation list for the National Conversation event that was held in Livingston on 16 June 2009.

Michael Russell: In line with Scottish Government policy, we do not intend to publish the invitation list for the National Conversation event held in Livingston on 16 June as it contains personal data for a number of delegates.

  However, over 170 representatives of the voluntary sector, church and other faith groups, business organisations, universities, trade unions, local authorities, ethnic minority groups, young people and members of the public attended the event.

  George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the cost, including that of ministerial aides, civil servants, travel and hospitality, associated with the National Conversation event that was held in Livingston on 16 June 2009.

Michael Russell: The event held in Livingston on 16 June 2009 cost approximately £3,300 including venue hire, catering, audio visual support and official travel.

Road Accidents

Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many road traffic accidents involving drivers under the age of 25 have occurred in Hamilton in each year since 1999.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported injury road accidents in which at least one of the drivers involved was under 25 in Hamilton.

  Accidents Involving Drivers Under the Age of 25 in Hamilton, 1999 - 2008

  

Year
Hamilton North and Bellshill
Hamilton South
Total


1999
75
53
128


2000
83
34
117


2001
88
46
134


2002
69
46
115


2003
63
41
104


2004
90
43
133


2005
54
39
93


2006
76
45
121


2007
69
43
112


2008
63
29
92



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many road traffic accidents involving drivers under the age of 25 have occurred in Blantyre in each year since 1999.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported injury road accidents in which at least one of the drivers involved was under 25 in electoral wards in the Blantyre area.

  Accidents Involving Drivers Under the Age of 25 in Blantyre, 1999 to 2008

  

1999
24


2000
14


2001
22


2002
21


2003
19


2004
20


2005
19


2006
14


2007
19


2008
15



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Note:

  Electoral wards - Blantyre West, Burnbank Blantyre, Coatshill Blantyre, High Blantyre and Udston.

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11910 by Stewart Stevenson on 29 April 2008, how many casualties have resulted from road accidents on the B758 in each year since 2006, broken down by severity.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported casualties resulting from road accidents, identified as occurring on the B758.

  Road Accident Casualties on the B758 by Severity, 2006-08

  

Year
Killed
Serious
Slight
All Severities


2006
0
2
13
15


2007
0
1
12
13


2008
0
0
13
13



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11909 by Stewart Stevenson on 29 April 2008, how many casualties have resulted from road accidents on the B7012 in each year since 2006, broken down by severity.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported casualties resulting from road accidents, identified as occurring on the B7012.

  Road Accident Casualties on the B7012 by Severity, 2006-08

  

Year
Killed
Serious
Slight
All Severities


2006
0
4
11
15


2007
0
0
6
6


2008
0
0
4
4



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11908 by Stewart Stevenson on 29 April 2008, how many casualties have resulted from road accidents on the B7071 in each year since 2006, broken down by severity.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported casualties resulting from road accidents, identified as occurring on the B7071.

  Road Accident Casualties on the B7071 by Severity, 2006-08

  

Year
Killed
Serious
Slight
All Severities


2006
0
0
16
16


2007
0
0
27
27


2008
0
2
20
22



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11907 by Stewart Stevenson on 29 April 2008, how many casualties have resulted from road accidents on the B755 in each year since 2006, broken down by severity.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported casualties resulting from road accidents, identified as occurring on the B755.

  Road Accident Casualties on the B755 by Severity, 2006-08

  

Year
Killed
Serious
Slight
All Severities


2006
0
0
5
5


2007
0
0
4
4


2008
0
1
2
3



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11906 by Stewart Stevenson on 29 April 2008, how many casualties have resulted from road accidents on the A72 in each year since 2006, broken down by severity.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported casualties resulting from road accidents, identified as occurring on the A72.

  Road Accident Casualties on the A72 by Severity, 2006-08

  

Year
Killed
Serious
Slight
All Severities


2006
3
14
72
89


2007
2
23
45
70


2008
1
7
51
59



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11905 by Stewart Stevenson on 29 April 2008, how many casualties have resulted from road accidents on the A724 in each year since 2006, broken down by severity.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported casualties resulting from road accidents, identified as occurring on the A724.

  Road Accident Casualties on the A724 by Severity, 2006-08

  

Year
Killed
Serious
Slight
All Severities


2006
0
5
39
44


2007
0
5
38
43


2008
0
5
40
45



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11904 by Stewart Stevenson on 30 April 2008, how many casualties have resulted from road accidents on the A723 in each year since 2006, broken down by severity.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported casualties resulting from road accidents, identified as occurring on the A723.

  Road Accident Casualties on the A723 by Severity, 2006-08

  

Year
Killed
Serious
Slight
All Severities


2006
0
7
49
56


2007
0
4
57
61


2008
0
2
41
43



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11903 by Stewart Stevenson on 30 April 2008, how many road accidents have occurred on the B758 in each year since 2006, broken down by driver age group.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported road accidents identified as occurring on the B758.

  Injury Road Accidents on the B758 Between 2006-08

  

 
Drivers or Riders of Vehicles Involved in Accidents


Year
Total Injury Accidents
Unknown/Under 17
17-22
23-29
30-59
60 and over


2006
8
0
1
2
11
1


2007
10
0
5
2
10
0


2008
9
0
3
4
8
1



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11902 by Stewart Stevenson on 30 April 2008, how many road accidents have occurred on the B7012 in each year since 2006, broken down by driver age group.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported road accidents identified as occurring on the B7012.

  Injury Road Accidents on the B7012 Between 2006-08

  

 
Drivers or Riders of Vehicles Involved in Accidents


Year
Total Injury Accidents
Unknown/Under 17
17-22
23-29
30-59
60 and over


2006
10
0
4
2
7
1


2007
6
0
1
0
8
0


2008
4
0
0
1
4
0



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11900 by Stewart Stevenson on 30 April 2008, how many road accidents have occurred on the B755 in each year since 2006, broken down by driver age group.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported road accidents identified as occurring on the B755.

  Injury Road Accidents on the B755 Between 2006-08

  

 
Drivers or Riders of Vehicles Involved in Accidents


Year
Total Injury Accidents
Unknown/Under 17
17-22
23-29
30-59
60 and over


2006
5
0
2
2
5
1


2007
4
0
1
1
3
2


2008
1
0
0
1
0
0



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11899 by Stewart Stevenson on 30 April 2008, how many road accidents have occurred on the A72 in each year since 2006, broken down by driver age group.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported road accidents identified as occurring on the A72.

  Injury Road Accidents on the A72 Between 2006-08

  

 
Drivers or Riders of Vehicles Involved in Accidents


Year
Total Injury Accidents
Unknown/Under 17
17-22
23-29
30-59
60 and over


2006
58
1
16
15
57
12


2007
53
0
16
17
42
20


2008
39
3
10
12
33
10



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11898 by Stewart Stevenson on 30 April 2008, how many road accidents have occurred on the A724 since 2006, broken down by driver age group.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported road accidents identified as occurring on the A724.

  Injury Road Accidents on the A724 Between 2006-08

  

 
Drivers or Riders of Vehicles Involved in Accidents


Year
Total Injury Accidents
Unknown/Under 17
17-22
23-29
30-59
60 and over


2006
31
0
4
5
32
6


2007
37
1
8
8
37
8


2008
33
1
8
10
27
8



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

  Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11897 by Stewart Stevenson on 30 April 2008, how many road accidents have occurred on the A723 in since 2006, broken down by driver age group.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported road accidents identified as occurring on the A723.

  Injury Road Accidents on the A723 Between 2006-08

  

 
Drivers or Riders of Vehicles Involved in Accidents


Year
Total Injury Accidents
Unknown/Under 17
17-22
23-29
30-59
60 and over


2006
44
0
11
12
49
5


2007
41
0
13
11
43
7


2008
35
0
8
9
36
9



  Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).

Roads

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive on what criteria the decision whether to build a Rosyth bypass will be based.

Stewart Stevenson: The Strategic Transport Projects Review has determined the Scottish Government’s future transport priorities for the next 20 years. This does not include a bypass for Rosyth.

  Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost is of constructing a Rosyth bypass and whether it will provide a breakdown of costs.

Stewart Stevenson: A Rosyth bypass has not been identified as a national strategic priority and consequently no studies have been carried out by Transport Scotland to examine the feasibility or costs associated with a bypass for Rosyth.

School Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reasons there has been a decrease in the funding of Sustrans from £8.525 million in 2007-08 to £3.555 million in 2009-10, given the continued success that Sustrans has had in getting people involved in active travel.

Stewart Stevenson: From 2006-08, Sustrans had been awarded the majority of the two year non-baselined budget of £10 million which was earmarked for a yellow school buses pilot project. Following consultation with local authorities, it was decided to redirected this funding to projects which would encourage children to walk and cycle to school.

  Of the £33 million available in this spending review for sustainable and active travel projects, Sustrans will receive at least 43% of that total budget. Other stakeholders and projects such as Smarter Choices, Smarter Places, will receive the remainder of the budget to invest in projects that also encourage active travel.

  Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that the level of funding that each local authority can apply for from Sustrans, for initiatives like Tackling the School Run, has been reduced by 45% as a result of its reduction in funding for Sustrans.

Stewart Stevenson: In 2008-09, Sustrans received £5.015 million in grant from the Scottish Government. In 2009-10, the total grant is £3.555 million, of which at least £2.285 million includes school travel.

  For the last two years, local authorities have contributed a degree of matched funding to the Sustrans funding for projects that tackle the school run. This year local authorities will receive £9.09 million for cycling, walking and safer streets projects. Local authorities can, if they wish, add to this figure if Tackling the School Run is a priority in their area.

  Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that every school should have access to a schools active travel coordinator in order to increase significantly the number of children cycling to school from the national average of 1%.

Stewart Stevenson: As part of the concordat agreement with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the budget for school travel coordinators was rolled up into the block grant as part of the local authority settlement. It is, therefore, up to individual local authorities to determine whether each school should have access to an active travel coordinator to increase the number of children cycling to school.

  Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many school travel coordinators there are and how many there were in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008, showing the number of schools for which they are or were responsible.

Stewart Stevenson: As part of the concordat agreement between COSLA and the Scottish Government, the budget for school travel coordinators was rolled up into the local authority grant settlement in 2008-09. It is up to each local authority to manage these posts and the priority that they give to school travel.

  In January 2007 there were 43 school travel coordinators posts and in January 2008 there were 38 posts. We do not collect data on the number of schools for which each school travel coordinator is responsible.

Schools

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to prioritise making school grounds and facilities more accessible after school hours and during weekends.

Fiona Hyslop: Local authorities’ and COSLA’s commitment to making school facilities more accessible for community use is already well documented. The Audit Scotland report, Improving the School Estate, indicated that many existing schools are already providing community access to facilities and new-build schools are often designed with community use in mind. The report highlights good practice but also identifies areas for improvement.

  The Scottish Government and COSLA have jointly accepted all of the recommendations in the report and the new School Estate Strategy, due to be published in September, will set out how the recommendations are to be taken forward.

Scottish Enterprise

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how Scottish Enterprise is working with businesses to invest in innovation and research and development.

Jim Mather: Innovation and research and development support are key areas of Scottish Enterprise’s work with business. For example, Scottish Enterprise (SE) offers specialist support to businesses on issues such as product development and process innovation and delivers the "Winning through Innovation" series of events, aimed at encouraging businesses to consider innovation and to see how it can improve their performance. Scottish Enterprise also invests in a portfolio of major projects that are designed to stimulate innovation in the key sectors, such as the Translational Medicine Research Collaboration and the Edinburgh BioQuarter.

  Direct grant support is also available to businesses wishing to undertake large-scale and small-scale research and development projects, and SE also supports growing companies through equity-based co-investments via the Scottish Co-Investment Fund and the Scottish Venture Fund.

Speech and Language Therapy

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review provision for young people with speech and language and communication impairments in Scotland in order to tackle unequal provision between areas.

Adam Ingram: A report on the review of funding and services for children in speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy for adults with learning disability was published by the Scottish Executive in 2003. The report can be accessed at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2003/08/18065/25750 .

  It is for NHS boards and local authorities to determine the level of speech and language service they provide based on local priorities and clinical need. The Scottish Government is currently working with NHS boards and local authorities to develop a partnership approach and supporting guidance on how education and health services can work together to best provide for children with additional support needs. It is anticipated that this guidance will be available in 2010.

Teachers

James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what forward planning is being undertaken to match the number of places allocated for teacher training with the number of teaching posts available in schools.

Fiona Hyslop: A teacher workforce planning exercise is undertaken annually to assess the requirements for teachers in the years ahead. This exercise takes into account the relevant recommendations of the Teacher Employment Working Group which reported in October 2008.

  James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings it has had with higher education institutions since May 2007 to discuss the number of people applying for teacher training places.

Fiona Hyslop: Officials meet the deans of education several times each year to discuss matters of mutual interest including, on occasions, the number of people applying for teacher training places. The deans are also represented on the Teacher Workforce Planning Group, which is convened by government officials and meets twice or three times each year. They were also represented on the Teacher Employment Working Group which met on four occasions between June and October 2008.

  James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will meet (a) South Lanarkshire and (b) Glasgow City Council to discuss teacher numbers.

Fiona Hyslop: Ministers and officials from the Scottish Government meet regularly with councils to discuss a wide range of education matters. For example, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning met with Glasgow City Council on 6 May 2009 and South Lanarkshire Council on 2 July 2009. At both of these meetings teacher numbers were discussed, in the context of the joint commitment between Scottish Government and local government to reduce class sizes in P1 – P3.

  Ministers and the COSLA Convention have now agreed that we need to renew our approach to that commitment. Officials from the Scottish Government and from COSLA will therefore discuss and agree the positive progress with each local authority on reducing class sizes in P1 – P3, including Glasgow City and South Lanarkshire.

  James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the Minister for Schools and Skills has had with the UK Government regarding teacher numbers since his appointment as minister.

Fiona Hyslop: Teacher numbers has not been an agenda item at either of the meetings that the Minister for Schools and Skills has had with UK Government ministers since his appointment, as education is a devolved responsibility for the Scottish Government.